Counter drum lighting device



Nov. 2, 1965 A. F. BLANCHET 3,215,826

COUNTER DRUM LIGHTING DEVICE Filed July 6. 1961 INVENTOR Andre-roncoigBlGifiChE'l' BY W WLMEW,J inwillaw AT ORNEYS United States Patent3,215,826 COUNTER DRUM LIGHTING DEVICE Andre Francois Blanchet, DesPresles- Le Perreux, Seine, France, assignor to S.A.T.A.M. SocieteAnonyme pour tous Appareillages Mecaniques, La Courneuve, Seine, France,a company of France Filed July 6, 1961, Ser. No. 122,299 Claimspriority, application France, July 8, 1960, 832,443, Patent 1,269,792 1Claim. (Cl. 24tl2.1)

In liquid metering and dispensing apparatus the drums of the mechanismsfor indicating the liquid volumes and the price of dispensed liquidquantities are usually arranged behind windows provided in a maskingmember located at a very small distance from a plane tangent to saiddrums. The masking member and the drums are enclosed in a casing havinga transparent plate parallel to said windows. Lighting of the drums isachieved by a light source arranged between said masking member and saidcasing, in an off-set location with respect to said windows. As thespace available is generally reduced the horizontal distance between thelight source and the masking member, and consequently between saidsource and the drums, is comparatively small.

In such known arrangements the angle of incidence of the light raysemitted by the light source on the glass plates which seal said windowsis near 90. Thus, the windows constitute display (or reading) windows aswell as lighting windows, and only a small portion of the light emittedfrom the light source towards the windows will reach the drums.

It is one of the main objects of the present invention to eliminate thisdrawback of the known arrangements by providing distinct reading windowsand lighting windows, the latter being arranged in such a position thatthe light rays passing through said lighting windows are substantiallyperpendicular to the respective planes of said lighting windows.

A practical embodiment will be described hereinafter, by Way of example,with reference to the appended drawing; however, it should be wellunderstood that this example is by no means to be considered asconstituting a limitation of the scope of the present invention.

Referring to the appended drawing numeral 1 designates one of the drummechanisms for indicating the quantities of liquid dispensed by a liquidmetering and dispensing apparatus, 2 is one of the drums of themechanism indicating the price of the liquid volume recorded by drum 1of said indicating mechanism, 3 is a masking member arranged inproximity of the common plane tangent to drums 1 and 2, while 4a is atransparent plate arranged in casing 4 of the apparatus; 5 designates alight source mounted between the prolonged plane of masking member 3 andcasing 4, and 6 is a drum indicating the unitary price of the liquid tobe dispensed.

In the known apparatus, masking member 3 is of a planar shape andprovided with windows enabling the user to read the indications on drums1 and 2. According to the present invention masking member 3 presents ageneral configuration somewhat similar to that of a so-called Venetianblind having mutually spaced inclined slats with slits definedtherebetween. In the present example masking member 3 has aconfiguration similar to that of a Venetian blind having three slats orlouvers 13, 23 and 33. The reading windows 13b, 23b and 33b are providedin the inclined slats or louvers 13, 23 and 33; slits 13a, 23a and 33a,defined between the slats or louvers 13, 23, 33 and masking member 3proper, constitute lighting windows and may be sealed by translu cent ortransparent plates substantially perpendicular to the light rays emittedby light source 5 and passing through said plates. The apertures 13b,23b and 33b hence permit observation of the portions of drums 1, 2 and 6illuminated by source 5 through apertures 13a, 23a and 33a respectively,such observation being possible along lines of sight substantiallyperpendicular to the paths of light from said source to said drums. Onthe other hand, the limits of the slits or apertures 13a, 23a and 33aare substantially parallel to such lines of sight, so that the apertures13a, 23a and 33a are not seen by such an observer.

In this arrangement the light rays emitted from source 5 impinge onplates 13a, 23a, 33a at an angle of incidence having a value ofsubstantially zero degree and thus pass through said plates without anyappreciable reflection. Consequently the flux of light reaching saidplates 13a, 23a, 3311 will pass entirely, or substantially entirely,through these plates and will illuminate drums 1, 2 and 6, respectively.

Masking member 3 and its projecting portions may advantageously bemanufactured by molding a transparent synthetic material such asPlexiglass.

The scope of the present invention is not limited by the embodimentdescribed hereinabove; the invention may be applied not only toindicating mechanisms of liquid metering and dispensing apparatus, butalso generally to any counting mechanism of apparatus having drums whichare lighted by steeply inclined light rays. It should be noted that therespective axes of the drums to be lighted need not necessarily belocated in a common vertical plane. These axes may indeed be arranged inmutually oil-set positions without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In devices where the masking member need not be sealed, the lightingwindows such as 13a, 23a and 33a may be open, i.e. the translucent ortransparent plates may be omitted from said windows.

I claim:

1n an indicating mechanism comprising at least one counter drum and atleast one light source for illuminating a portion of said drum ontowhich light from said source falls at high angles of incidence, agenerally planar mask interposed between the light rays of said sourceand said drum with the plane of said mask substantially parallel to aplane tangent to said drum at said portion thereof, said mask having atleast one louver provided therein adjacent said drum portion, saidlouver comprising a slot-like member inclined at an acute angle withrespect to said tangent plane and defining an opening between the loweredge of said louver and said mask giving access between said source anddrum portion, said light source being mounted forward of and below saidlouver, said louver having an aperture therein through which saidportion of said drum may be observed along a line of sight substantiallyperpendicular to the path of light between said source and said drumportion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,561,626 11/25Wiley 40-133 1,933,763 11/33 Russell 40-130 X 2,795,878 6/57 Welland4077 2,842,880 '7/58 Rapisarda 40-430 2,897,344 7/59 Peterson 2408.l6

NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner.

LEWIS I. LENNY, Examiner.

